By Doni Koesoema A

It is very concerning! Started the new school year and the month of fasting, brawl at some state public school in Jakarta happened again. Such happening shows us the weakness of school leadership, immature of our school culture, and the absence of the State (in the form of police state apparatus’ powerlessness) in resolving such a serious problem.  Developing character education program in school amid the violence culture among the youth cannot be overcome by appeal, making such peaceful agreement among conflicting students and school, but it needs a more comprehensive approaches and commitment from all parties. Nurturing better character education culture which creates school as peaceful and caring community is an urgent need!

Limited Responsibility

The brawl among students that happening years indicates low level of awareness and responsibility among school leadership. Of course, some brawls are happening outside school area and even after school hours but it does not mean that it is not school leader responsibility anymore.   
Why such brawl does happen more and more? The continuing brawl among student happens as school leaders have a limited or little responsibility about the problems in their school. Just saying that such an accident happens outside our school, thus it is not our responsibility means that school leader escape from their responsibility to take care and handle the serious problems in their school.

Ceremonial Approach

Ceremonial approach which emphasizes on making an appeal of peaceful resolution among conflicting schools will not be effective means as character education formation is not merely an signed document. What we need is the learning together among students and school about the way we live in a peaceful atmosphere where everyone is appreciated and respected based on his dignity and individuality. They are not things to be degraded or destructed!

Weakness of School Culture

Despite the effective role of school leadership, character education program will be more effective where every single individual feel at home and cared at the school. Without these feelings students’ academic achievement will remain low. Student also cannot learn better as their surrounding worried them, if they may back home safely or not.

The feeling at home can be nurtured when every individual in the community is respected, humanly treated, and their presence is considered as worth in the school live. But the problem is that the culture of violence has been spreading over at all level of our society. And this situation has been impacting school in various forms of violence, for example, when we did an injustice to other students when applying discrimination in our evaluation. Those who do not study get the better grade than those who don’t just because school policy needs to upgrade them for the good appearance of school in the public eyes. In the case of upgrading, school policy miss the point on promoting the value of hard work and justice!

This school culture is contrary to the moral principle on respecting every individual as they are. Further, the culture manipulate individual for the school success appearance in front of public accountability. Thus, school may obtain popularity as all their students are promoted 100%!
Respecting individual according to their dignity, their effort and perseverance on studying is a form of justice. The practice of justice at the school policy would make individual feel at home, cared, and respected, as a consequence their academic performance will improve. When the proud of academic achievement is low, then some student will search for its compensation and inauthentic self-image, or false proud in the form of brawl.

State Absence

The phenomenon of brawl in public sphere can be a clear indication of state absence. The State tends to affirm a false understanding that when an act of criminal is done in group, this action can be legalized. When the police just stay cool and do nothing in front of student amok and act of violence, at that moment, the police show themselves that they are not present.

Effective character education takes serious consideration on the role of other community outside school.  They are strategically school partner on improving quality education.  That is why, the role of community, like parents, media, state apparatus, government personnel, to break the brawl is very important. The State needs to be present as it needs to educate people to obey the law.

To solve the student brawl and break the chain of violence, there are some alternative solutions.

First, the State presence is very urgent and important, so that character education as promoted by Minister of Education and Cultural may go effectively. To solve the problem, the State apparatus, in this case the police need to be more assertive in handling student brawl as brawl may be very dangerous for others and self. The police department needs to collaborate more with school personnel to promote the culture of discipline and respect for the law. Such a reactive action, for example to catch the students involved in violence is of course on of good action, but educative and preventive action through collaboration with school is more important than resolving all matters in a legal approaches.

Secondly, the government needs to act firmly on the school leadership, whether they are from state school or private school. The school leader, whose school always involved in brawl, needs to be replaced. It means that their leadership is not effective. But in this case, the government should be cautious and aware in replacing the school leaders as in school there might be unhealthy competition among staffs that are eager to use the brawl to promote their own interest.  

Role of School Community

Third, character education can be very effective if all members in the community are involved, from the security, office boy/girl, workers to teachers and staff personnel. It means that every of them need to understand their task and responsibility, especially in promoting the culture of peace among students.

An act of violence to other individual whatever its form is the real fact that individual is not respected as they are, as person who have dignity and worth in itself. Education should teach that every individual is valued and respected with dignity.

Nobody has the right to manipulate and used other’s physical body in whatever reason they may have. The brawl is a sign that respect to other physical body is still weak. Whereas, the physical body of other person is one of pillars virtue of integrated and comprehensive character education.

Published in Kompas Daily, July 31, 2012.